Sports World

The Stadium is the remnant of an earlier era of building. It served a central role as a single-use facility for national / international soccer matches & athletic events for thirty years. Given the opportunity, a newly-defined legacy can continue to support future programmatic, cultural and community needs, forming a key master plan node. This competition questions the typology of the sports mega-plex by creating a “city within the City,” supporting adaptive reuse on a large, urban scale. First, it proposes links to the city—metro and bus transportation— as well as to its neighborhood, challenging the idea of an insular, iconic building. It establishes community connections: a walking trail, pedestrian bridges, educational components, small outdoor sports courts, and “abra” boat rentals.

This complex consolidates community-related sports program, competition venues, & sports education into a single complex that fosters communication and sparks urban life. The scheme originates from observation of the climate and vernacular rural architecture. It aims to create a low-energy building model that sets a world-wide precedent. The ‘souk’--a traditional marketplace--is an important element in the public realm, combining sun protection / light-infiltration to create healthy environments. Given the extreme climate, it is apparent that the new Sports World must take its clues from a conceptual understanding of past, present, and future typologies.